Stage 0 treatment is curable by surgery alone because it is limited the lining layer and has not invaded any other tissue. Unless the cancer is in a location that is difficult to remove completely without removing an entire lung, it is treated with segmentectomy.
Stage Iand II treatments will probably be only surgery; which surgery will depend on various factors. Segmentectomy is usually done only for the smallest stage I cancers and for patients whose health condition make removing the entire lobe dangerous. Radiation therapy may be recommended as follow-up treatment.
Stage IIIa treatment depends on what lymph nodes have been affected and where the cancer is located. If cancer is found in the lymph nodes of the middle chest, and the lymph nodes are enlarged and abnormal, the patient is not considered a primary candidate for surgery, but will have a treatment plan consisting of chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
If there are normal-appearing mediastinal nodes, surgery for resection is likely. Sometimes chemotherapy or radiation treatment is used and if there is a response, surgery is used to remove any remaining tumor.
Stage IIIb treatment is does not include surgery. A combination of chemotherapy and radiation therapy will be considered for patients who have no cancerous cells in the fluid surrounding the lungs. If cancer cells are found in the fluid, chemotherapy with comfort care is usually suggested. Even with aggressive therapy these patients tend to survive about as long as their stage IV counterparts.
Stage IV has no cure. Comfort care (treatment of pain and other discomforts), with or without chemotherapy are the only choices at this point. Pain can be managed with medication, and while chemotherapy cannot cure this level of cancer, it can relieve some of the symptoms of the disease, and may extend the patient’s life. Clinical trials and experimental drugs are also options at this point and should be discussed with the doctor.